Welcome

This is a blog of the books I read. I'm trying to encourage myself to get better about writing reviews of books. You'll see the books I've read and my statistics for the year!

When I first graduated from college (many years ago), I said I didn't have time to read anything that wasn't related to my career. Thank goodness I finally outgrew that. I almost exclusively read ebooks these days!

I really enjoy this series. Lara is the doctor everyone wants to have...caring and willing to take on whatever her patients need. This story line was particularly relevant in my personal life because we are dealing with the same issues that the Callahan's are facing with Big Dog.

Favorite line of the book: "You’re a sandwich short of a picnic, mate."

Sunday, September 15, 2013

One of the things that I enjoy about Carr's books is that they include contemporary topics. The Hero touches on cults, homelessness, unemployment, and community. [Spencer] "wanted to be a part of a community that behaved with compulsive kindness.? Both Devon and Spencer find that in Thunder Point.

There isn't a truer description of the current economic conditions:

"The high rate of business closures and escalating unemployment rate made it tough for anyone to find work. Many of the jobless were well educated and hardworking, just like herself."

The series is a continuing story of the fight against a terrorist targeting the US and, specifically, the men of Titanium Security. While the characters continue there is no need to read the series in order.

I keep forgetting how much I enjoy this series. A town full of characters; especially Minnie, my favorite "hen," who is a fountain of experience that she is more than willing to share.

"Life isn’t hell; it’s a journey. A wonderful, breathtaking journey. Yes, there will be bumps along the way. And more than a few times, you’ll find yourself down in a ditch that looks so deep you think you’ll never get out. Some folks like to stay in the ditch. They like to moan and groan about how hard life is and blame all their troubles on other people. Little do they know that in the time they spent complainin’ they could have been out of the ditch and standing on top of the mountain.”

“All of us have made mistakes in our lives. All of us have been so angry at what life dealt us that we do things we regret. But that’s the wonderful thing about livin’—a mistake you make one second will be in the past the next.”

I heard an interview with the Author John Lloyd on NPR Saturday edition. During the interview, Author Lloyd "suggests that if this book were taught in schools, students would learn faster and remember more because it reduces real knowledge to its most interesting elements."

For example, from the first page of the book:
Asteroid 1,227 is called Geranium.
The ozone layer smells faintly of geraniums.
The center of the galaxy tastes like raspberries.
The universe is shaped like a vuvuzela.

Lloyd explains "Now these, left bald, they are astonishing and almost incredible. But they're all sourced," says Lloyd. "We can talk about why the center of the galaxy tastes like raspberries and how they know that. And that would be an amazing way of learning about raspberries, galaxies [and] physics."

Learning is the best way to keep the mind active and engaged. My goal for this book is to take each fact and learn from it. Why is Astroid 1,227 called Geranium? When was it found and named? Who found the astroid? Where is the asteroid?

Even if you don't purchase the book, download the Kindle sample and read the introduction. There are great tips on learning.

Monday, September 2, 2013

More Montana mavericks. Quick easy read with characters from the other Maverick series. One of the things I like about this series is that the books are written by different authors. So while there is continuity of characters and setting, the tone of the books is each authors.